Financial advice, explained in plain English.
Independent guides, free calculators and a step-by-step toolkit for finding — and properly vetting — an FCA-authorised financial adviser. We educate. We never advise, never sell, never take a cut.
The questions everyone starts with
Most people don't know whether they need an adviser, what one actually does, what one costs, or how to tell a good one from a salesperson. That's the gap this site exists to close.
Do I need an adviser at all?
An honest framework: when paying for advice earns its fee, when free guidance is enough, and a five-question self-test.
Read the guide →What advice actually is
The legal difference between regulated advice and guidance, what advisers can and can't do, and which protections only apply to authorised firms.
Read the guide →What advice really costs
Around 70% of advisers don't publish fees. Our benchmark page does: the going rates with sources cited, and a calculator that turns any quote into pounds.
See the benchmark →How to vet an adviser
A step-by-step walkthrough of the FCA Register, the questions to ask in a first meeting, and the red flags that should end the conversation.
Open the toolkit →Run your own numbers
Simple, transparent tools with every assumption stated. They show how the maths works — they don't tell you what to do with it.
Compound growth
See what regular saving could grow into, and how much of the final pot is growth rather than contributions.
Open calculator → RetirementRetirement gap
Compare where your pension pot is heading with the pot a target retirement income would typically need.
Open calculator → RetirementPension tax relief
What a monthly pension contribution really costs you after tax relief — and what actually lands in the pot.
Open calculator → PropertyMortgage repayments
Monthly payments, total interest over the term, and what regular overpayments could change.
Open calculator → FeesFee impact
The long-term difference between low and high annual charges on the same pot. It's bigger than most people think.
Open calculator → RetirementDrawdown sustainability
How long could a pension pot last? Model withdrawals, growth and inflation and find the depletion age.
Open calculator →Where are you right now?
Twenty-two guides is a library, not a path. Pick the situation that sounds like yours and follow the sequence.
"I'm retiring in the next few years"
"I've received an inheritance"
"I'm just getting started"
"I'm ready to hire an adviser"
We're deliberately not an advice firm
We never recommend products
No fund picks, no pension provider rankings, no "best buy" tables for regulated products. Personal recommendations are regulated advice — that's an FCA-authorised adviser's job, not ours.
Your details are never for sale
No auction-style "get matched" funnels that sell you to the highest bidder. We teach you to find and verify an authorised adviser yourself on the FCA's own register — and if we ever offer an introduction to an advice firm, it will be one named, FCA-authorised partner, our fee disclosed up front, and only ever at your request.
We show our funding
Advertising and brand sponsorship, clearly labelled, with no influence on content — explained in full on our how we make money page.
Worth repeating: FinancialAdvisor.co.uk is an education site. We are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, our content is not regulated financial advice, and using this site does not give you access to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. For a personal recommendation, see an FCA-authorised adviser — our toolkit shows you how to find and check one.